“The Church is not fully walking in God’s will but is governed by human desires. Pastors inevitably face challenges in financial support and a shortage of successors," said Pastor Li, born after 1985, during a recent discussion at a church in central China.
While his words may sound sharp, they reflect a harsh reality in many grassroots churches across China: the inadequate financial support for pastors. Some juggle church service with side jobs like street vending, ride-hailing, or food delivery to support their families. Others, particularly couples in ministry, resort to one spouse leaving pastoral work entirely to take up secular jobs to make ends meet.
In Li’s province, such situations are far from rare. Known as a "tough soil for the Gospel," the region has long struggled with insufficient offerings, making it difficult to adequately support its pastors. Many lay believers continue to hold the traditional view that "pastors should serve selflessly, and asking for support is unspiritual." In this environment, most rural pastors are left with little to no financial backing and must rely entirely on faith for their livelihood.
Despite being rooted in the same grassroots church environment, Li stands out. He openly challenges the prevailing silence around this "elephant in the room" and advocates for change. Through his efforts, he seeks to awaken both churches and pastors to build a support system aligned with biblical teachings.
Li's passion for reform stems from his personal experience of thriving under a healthy support system, where he witnessed firsthand the blessings of God’s provision.
A Church and Pastor Who Stumbled Into God's Will
Ten years ago, Li was a recent Bible school graduate planning to return to his rural home church. However, a senior pastor from an urban church, who had attended a short-term training course with him, invited him to serve as a full-time minister. The church was short-staffed and in the process of constructing a new facility. Li accepted the invitation.
According to him, this church was not the main church in the area. It was simply a small meeting point located on the second floor of a rented building in an old district, with just a few dozen members and meager monthly offerings of only a few hundred yuan. After covering basic expenses like rent, utilities, and ministry costs—and saving for the new building—it barely had enough to function. Yet, the church chose to allocate a significant portion of its limited funds to provide Li with a salary and rent. This commitment continued faithfully for ten years without delay.
Though his salary is modest compared to pastors in major cities, the church’s commitment to investing in supporting pastors is exceptional for congregations of its size. Li shared how the church not only ensured his basic needs were met but also supported his ministry efforts, enabling him to flourish.
Joining the church during a time of pastoral scarcity, Li quickly became an integral part of its leadership team despite his inexperience. The senior pastors, preoccupied with overseeing the construction of church facilities, entrusted him with significant responsibilities and granted him the freedom to innovate in frontline pastoral work.
Over the next decade, Li turned the church into a laboratory for refining discipleship and pastoral strategies. A lover of reading and learning, he deepened his theological understanding through self-study and drew on advanced pastoral theories and practices from churches both domestically and internationally. These insights found fertile ground in his ministry.
Li began by introducing small group ministries, starting from scratch to develop a structured, context-specific discipleship training system paired with layered pastoral care. His efforts also resulted in the formation of a strong and capable team of small group leaders, whose leadership has been critical to the church’s steady growth.
During the pandemic, while many local churches struggled with membership decline, Li’s church not only avoided such challenges but experienced growth. It became the only church in the area to sustain consecutive years of growth.
As for Li himself, through hands-on exploration and trials in pastoral ministry, he progressively transformed from an inexperienced theology student into a well-regarded "practical, hands-on pastor" within the local clergy.
A Healthy Support System Builds a Healthy Church
Li has realized that healthy, thriving churches, even in challenging times, share a common trait—a well-functioning ecosystem. In this system, the church provides pastors with holistic support for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, while pastors focus on shepherding and delivering quality spiritual nourishment, creating a mutually reinforcing cycle.
“According to biblical teaching, God’s will for pastors is that they devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. For churches, part of God’s will is to ensure that ‘the worker deserves his wages’ (Luke 10:7, NIV). This includes not only material provisions but also spiritual respect and expressions of love,” Li explained. “Yet, in many grassroots churches in our area and across China, God’s will is not being followed.”
He explained that many rural churches in his area were unwilling to provide pastors with basic respect and material support, which caused many trained ministers to lose the motivation and resources to remain in ministry. As full-time pastors dwindle, lay volunteer pastors take on shepherding roles. Their limited spiritual training weakens the pulpit ministry, making it harder for believers to grow in grace through the Word. As a result, members’ commitment to the church and respect for their pastors erode further. In such an environment, cultivating the next generation becomes increasingly difficult, leading to an endless cycle of decline.
Li views grassroots pastoral work as more than pulpit ministry. For him, it encompasses holistic spiritual formation and the strategic development of church ministries. “To establish a stable pastoral team, the church must prioritize the support of its pastors,” he emphasized.
Years ago, Li read about rural churches in Northeast China pooling resources to support a full-time pastor, which led to congregational revival. Inspired, he began advocating for the necessity of pastoral support during his service in rural churches.
He emphasized that the issue is not just about providing a pastor's salary but cultivating a genuine commitment to care for and support them. Neglecting pastors, Li argued, ultimately harms the church more than the individuals. The departure of a pastor may be personally challenging, but for the church, it can trigger a decline that could prove irreversible. He urged congregations to reflect on the long-term impact, believing that no church would choose neglect if they understood the consequences.
From Small “Support” Foundations to Big “Support” Vision
Drawing from his experience as a seminary student, Li observed that young theology students from local areas often lack a strong sense of calling when applying to seminaries, especially compared to students from long-established evangelical regions. Many enter theological training out of obligation or lack of better options. As a result, the attrition rate among local theology graduates is significantly higher than that of their counterparts from more established evangelical regions.
“It is closely tied to the notion of supporting pastors,” he concluded. In established evangelical regions, churches have a stronger foundation among believers for cultivating and respecting pastors. This allows theology students from those churches to grow in a healthy environment, giving them a clearer sense of calling and a more passionate commitment to the path of ministry. “But here, we have yet to build such a healthy environment.”
In recent years, Li has focused on using pastoral care to create a supportive and nurturing environment, helping young people with the potential to become pastors develop a sense of calling and responsibility for pastoral ministry.
To achieve this, inspired by Jesus' model of leading His disciples in the “70-12-3” framework, Li implemented a focused and refined pastoral approach, selecting among young believers those who are strong in faith, passionate in pursuit, and enthusiastic in service. Alongside their small-group studies on foundational doctrines, family building, and financial stewardship, these individuals received direct mentorship from pastors to deepen their understanding of church management and systematic theology. They were also entrusted with more significant roles in small-group or regional pastoral responsibilities.
During this process, Li acted as a bridge between young co-workers and the congregation, explaining the church’s intentions to cultivate the younger generation and resolving misunderstandings between the two sides. This effort enabled the congregation to witness the growth of young people on the frontlines of ministry. Step by step, the church developed a culture that values, encourages, and supports the rising generation, laying a solid foundation of committed believers for building a future pastoral team.
In Li’s view, a church that can nurture its next generation of pastors is receiving a tremendous blessing from God. When the entire congregation sets aside envy, complacency, and self-serving desires, and earnestly prays according to God’s will for more pastors to rise, God will surely hear and provide suitable workers for the church.
“The issue of pastoral support is both simple and complex,” Li commented. “It is narrow yet broad in scope, with both immediate and historical significance. Today, as our church explores this path, we cannot foresee how far we can go. However, I am confident that our church will undoubtedly receive even greater blessings from God if we walk in alignment with Him.”
- Translated by J.C.
